The 5 Best Mattresses For Back Pain, According To Doctors

If you suffer from chronic back pain, you’ll do anything short of selling a kidney to make it stop.

But, because that's a little (okay, a lot) extreme, your next obvious choice is to upgrade your mattress.

First and foremost, comfort is key—along with finding something that minimizes pressure at points like your back, butt, and shoulders, says Santhosh A. Thomas, D.O., associate medical director of the Center for Spine Health at the Cleveland Clinic Richard E. Jacobs Medical Center. “We spend almost a third of our life in bed, so it is important to have something that is comfortable and meets your needs of good sleep,” he says.

But that's not all you have to consider—there are a few other expert-approved criteria you need to consider for your back issues. Keep these tips in for the next time you go mattress shopping.

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1The best mattress for back pain isn't necessarily the most expensive one.

If you’ve already started looking around, you know that mattresses can be really, really pricey.

But honestly, your back isn't going to be impressed by a price tag, and there's no need to blow a ton on a mattress if it’s not right for you. “Before you invest money in a mattress, try it out,” says Payam Farjoodi, M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon at the Spine Health Center at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif. “Comfort is the most important thing.”

This mattress, by Sleep Innovations, is just $217—nearly $800 less than most memory foam mattresses.

You’ve probably heard that firmer = better for back pain, but that’s actually not true, says Neel Anand, M.D., a professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of spine trauma at Cedars-Sinai Spine Center in Los Angeles.

“While specialists used to recommend an extra-firm mattress as the ideal choice for proper back support, that guidance is outdated and has pretty much been overruled,” he says. “In fact, new studies have shown a too-hard mattress may actually create more pain because there isn’t enough ‘give’ near pressure points like your hips and shoulders.”

If you're not ready to fully make the switch from firm to soft, this hybrid memory foam mattress by Sleep Envie is the perfect mix of support from coils and cushion from memory foam.

Let's face it: Spending a few minutes on a mattress at a store can be misleading. What might feel awesome in the store could cause you misery after a full night’s sleep.

“We tell our patients to try out the mattress before they purchase it for several days to weeks,” Thomas says. “When you go to a store and lie on it, it is for a very brief time and does not allow you to experience the whole spectrum of changing positions and maintaining good sleep.”

Casper mattresses go a step further, offering a 100-night trial period for their mattresses, so you can know for sure whether or not you want to stick with it.

“No one mattress will be ideal for everyone,” says Steven Agabegi, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and a UC Health spine surgeon. “But the memory foam mattresses or the Tempur-Pedic type mattresses conform to body contours and are preferred. I advise patients to avoid sleeping on couches and futons and excessively hard mattresses.”

And, if you're worried about memory foam being too hot to sleep on (a common complaint with memory foam mattresses), Tempur-Pedic's mattresses are made with "temperature-response material" that remains cool to the touch.

Adjustable beds are pretty sweet, and they can do your back a solid, too. “Beds that adjust, like the Sleep Number, are good,” Farjoodi says. “Different configurations tend to be the most versatile. I’ve found that patients can be the most satisfied with that.”

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